Wimbledon 2021: Women’s Singles Draw Preview and Predictions
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Aryna Sabalenka, Serena Williams and Ash Barty
The draw for the Ladies’ Singles at the 2021 Wimbledon is out and the playing field couldn’t have been more stacked. Ash Barty goes in as the top seed and will have to play her best tennis as she has been handed a tough draw. Aryna Sabalenka is the second seed after defending champion Simona Halep pulled out of the tournament.
Tournament Details:
- Tournament: Wimbledon 2021
- Date: June 28-July 10, 2021
- Number of Entrants: 128 (Singles), 64 (Doubles)
- Venue: London, Great Britain
- Surface: Grass Court
- Prize Money: £35,016,000
- Defending champion: Iga Swiatek
Top Seeds at the Wimbledon 2021
- Ashleigh Barty
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Elina Svitolina
- Sofia Kenin
- Bianca Andreescu
Women’s Singles Draw Analysis and Prediction
First Quarter
The first quarter of the draw will be headlined by top seed Ash Barty. She has been handed a tricky draw and will face Cancer survivor Carla Suarez Navarro in the opening round. She is then expected to face Hungarian Timea Babos in the second round. She is drawn alongside home favorite and 27th seed Johanna Konta who opens against Katerina Siniakova. Konta and Barty could meet in the third round.
17th seed Kiki Bertens has been drawn in the same bracket as French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova. Bertens will face in form Marta Kostyuk in the first round while Krejcikova will meet Clara Tauson. Bertens and Krejcikova are expected to meet in the third round with the winner taking on Ash Barty in the Round of 16.
12th seed Victoria Azarenka gets lucky on the draw and will face Kateryna Kozlova in the opening round. She is expected to face Anett Kontaveit in the third round who opens against Marketa Vondrousova.
Fifth seed Bianca Andreescu has been handed a very tough draw and will play in form Alize Cornet in the first round. If she manages to clear the first hurdle, she could face either Jelena Ostapenko or Daria Kasatkina in the third round. The winner of the bracket will go on to face wither Azarenka or Kontaveit in the Round of 16.
Quarter-Final prediction: Ashleigh Barty vs Victoria Azareka
Second Quarter
The second quarter of the draw is probably the trickiest. Elina Svitolina headlines the quarter as the third seed and will play Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round. The Ukrainian is drawn with in form Paula Badosa who faces Aliona Bolsova in the opening round. Svitolina and Badosa are expected to lock horns in the third round.
French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will be up against Ana Bogdan in the first round and could face 19th seed Karolina Muchova in the third round who opens against Shuai Zhang. She could face a tough opponent in Camila Giorgi in the second round. The winner of this bracket will face Elina Svitolina in the Round of 16.
The bottom half of the second quarter is stacked with big names and is headlined by 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams who will face Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the opening round. Serena could then very well face former champion Angelique Kerber in the third round.
In form Belinda Bencic will open against Kaja Juvan and is expected to face teen sensation Coco Gauff in the third round. The winner between Bencic and Gauff will face Serena Williams in the Round of 16.
Quarter-Final prediction: Elina Svitolina vs Serena Williams
Third Quarter
Fourth seed Sofia Kenin is the highest ranked player in the third quarter. She gets an easy draw and will face a qualifier in the first round. She is expected to face Veronika Vudermetova in the third round and could easily reach the quarterfinals. She is expected to face either of Elise Mertens or Madison Keys in the Round of 16 as per seedings.
In the other half, Karolina Pliskova will take on Tamara Zidansek in a tough opening round match with the winner facing either Donna Vekic or Anastasia Potapova in the second round. Pliskova could very well face Nadia Podoroska or Alison Riske in the third round.
Former champion Petra Kvitova gets a tough first round opponent in Sloane Stephens with the winner possibly facing Jessica Pegula in the third round. The winner of the bracket will face Pliskova in the Round of 16.
Quarter-Final prediction: Petra Kvitova vs Sofia Kenin
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter of draw will be headlined by second seed Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarussian has been handed the easiest of draws. She could possibly face three qualifiers in the opening three rounds. She opens against a qualifier and could face 32nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round.
In form Elena Rybakina will be up against Kristina Mladenovic in the first round with the winner facing a qualifier or Misaki Doi in the second round. Rybakina can go on to face Maria Sakkari in the third round.
In the other half of the quarter, 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek will face Hsieh Su-wei in a very tough opening round match. She is drawn alongside Petra Martic and the winner could very well face the Croat in the third round.
Former champion Garbine Muguruza has been drawn alongside Venus Williams and in form Ons Jabeur. The Spanish 11th seed will play Fiona Ferro in the first round and could face Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round. Jabeur faces Rebecca Peterson in the opening round and will face Venus Williams in the second round. The Tunisian could very well face Muguruza in the third round.
Quarter-Final prediction: Garbine Muguruza vs Aryna Sabalenka
Quarterfinals
The first quarterfinal between Ash Barty and Victoria Azarenka promises to be a mouth watering clash. Both players have proved there mettle and are grand slam champions. Whoever serves better should have an edge.
Elina Svitolina will face Serena Williams in the second quarterfinal. A lot of pressure will be on Williams to win her 24th major but her experience might just come handy. Expect a thrilling three set epic on center court.
Semi-Final 1 prediction: Ash Barty vs Serena Williams
The third quarter final will once again be the battle of grand slam champions. Petra Kvitova will be up against Sofia Kenin. Being a 2-time Wimbledon champion, Kvitova knows very well how to play at the All England Club but Kenin may just edge over her if she serves well.
Aryna Sabalenka will have her first major test of the tournament in the quarterfinal against Garbine Muguruza. Both have bery good game for grass and it will eventually come down to defense. Sabalenka may edge past Muguruza in three sets.
Semi-Final 2 prediction: Sofia Kenin vs Aryna Sabalenka
Semifinals
The first semifinal between Ash Barty and Serena Williams could very well be the match of the tournament. Barty has a proper all around gameplay and barring her injury, has looked in amazing touch. Serena Williams is a Wimbledon legend and grass is her favorite surface. She will have the edge given her experience.
In a battle of young guns, Sofia Kenin will be up against Aryna Sabalenka. Both have very aggressive game, well-suited for all surfaces. Again, Sabalenka’s power serve will be the key to her success.
Final: Serena Williams vs Aryna Sabalenka
Wimbledon 2021: Final
The 2021 Wimbledon final will be a battle of two generations. Williams, will be bidding to win her record 24th grand slam title against Aryna Sabalenka, who will be playing her first final. Expect a thrilling match with Serena Williams winning her record equaling 24th major.
Champion: Serena Williams
Also read: Wimbledon 2021: Men’s Singles Draw Preview and Prediction
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)